US Army intel veteran praises sanctions on Iran

♪♪. FOX NEWS ALERT. DONALD TRUMP JUST SAID THE. STRAIT OF HORMUZ IS OURS. THEY DON'T WANT TO GO BACK AT. THEM. THAT'S THE WHOLE BALL GAME. THE REST DOES NOT MATTER. THE STRAIT WAS IRAN'S FINAL CARD. TO PLAY. THEY WANTED TO SHOT IT DOWN FOR. GOOD THREATENING TO CLIPIP ANY. TANKER THAT SAILED THROUGH. THEY HIT A FEW AND THEY INFECTED. WATER WITH MINES. WE'VE SCOOPED THEM UP AND NOW.

THEY CAN BARELY TOUCH A SHIP SO. THE NAVY HAS MOVED TO CLEAN UP. DUTY SENDING SEALS, DIVERS, UNDERWATER DRONES, TO CLEAR OUT. THE MINES, AND IT'S WORKING. >> BOTTOM LINE, TODAY, INTERNATIOIONAL SHIPPING LANES E. OPEN AND MOMENTUM IS BUILDING. IRAN HAS EXPORTED ZERO OIL FROM. ITS SHORES SINCE WE RESUMED THE. NAVAL BLOCKADE IN MID-JULY. WE'VE BEEN HIGHLY EFFECTIVE. NO SHIPS HAVE ENTERED OR LEFT AN. IRANIAN PORT WITHOUT OUR. PERMISSION. CENTCOM FORCES HAVE DEMONSTRATED.

TIME AND TIME AGAIN THAT WE'RE. LASER-FOCUSED ON THIS MISSION. WE REMAIN DIGIT HASN'T, LETHAL. AND RESOLVED. >> ADMIRAL COOPER IS JUST GREAT. ANY TIME HE'S TALKING WE. BENEFIT. SO FAR OIL IS FLOWING. 30 TANKERS EXITING THE STRAIGHT. EVERY SINGLE NIGHT BUT THEY WANT. THE NUMBER TO BE AT 50 BY MID. SEPTEMBER. BIG TIME, WHEN IT'S GOING WELL, THEY HAVE ABOUT 125. SO IRAN IS FEELING ECONOMIC.

D-DAY. STRANGLING WITH ECONOMIC. OUTCAST. SHIPS TIED TO IRAN ARE. BLACKLISTED. THE PRESIDENT SAID THEY ARE. SCRAPING FOR ANY CASH JUST TO. PAY THEIR OWN TROOPS AND MOST. AREN'T GETTING PAID. THEY ARE RUNNING UP A TAB THEY. CAN'T COVER AND TEHERAN WANTS TO. TALK. STEVE WHEN IT COUGUGH HAS BEEN. SITTING DOWN WITH QATAR IN. PAKISTAN TO SEE WHERE THINGS CAN. GO BUT LET'S NOT GET TOO. COMFORTABLE. THESE TWO MAY NOT BE PLAYING FOR. OUR TEAM. >> BOTH OF THESE COUNTRIES ARE.

COMPLICIT, AND FAVORING IRAN. EVEN THOUGH THEY ATTEMPT TO BE. MEDIATORS WITH US. THE PRESIDENT HAS RELATIONS WITH. THE LEADERS OF EACH COUNTRY, AND. VALUES THAT PERSONAL. RELATIONSHIP. BUT HOW THESE COUNTRIES BEHAVE. THEY BEHAVE IN THEIR OWN. INTEREST HERE FOR SURE, IS. PRIMARY, AND THAT INTEREST HAS. LIED COMPLETELY MORE IN FAVOR OF. IRAN THAN THE UNITED STATES. >> BY THE WAY, PAKISTAN JUST SET. UP A TRADE DEAL WITH THE.

IRANIANS LAST WEEK. MICHAEL -- JOINS US A FORMER. U.S. ARMY INTELLIGENCE OFFICER, KNOWS AS MUCH ABOUT THE REGION. AS WIN. WHERE DO YOU THINK WE ARE RIGHT. NOW AS OPERATION EPIC FURY IS. NOW IN PLAY. >> THE BIGGEST OBSTACLE ARE. TRUMP'S RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE. LEADERS OF PAKISTAN, QATAR AND. OTHER COUNTRIES INCLUDING. TURKEY, RUSSIA, AND CHINA. WHEN WE LOOK AT WHAT QATAR IS.

DOING AND WHAT PAKISTAN IS DOING. THEY CONTINUE TO, YOU KNOW, ABOUT AS MEDIATORS BUT THEY. ALWAYS TAKE THE SIDE OF IRAN OR. HAMAS. HAVING STEVE WHEN IT COUGH DOING. THIS IS JUST THE WRONG PERSON. THIS IS NOT HOW YOU DO IT WITH A. TERRORIST-SUPPORTING COUNTRY OR. A TERRORIST ORGANIZATION. AND THE REASON QATAR WANTS THIS. SO BAD, BRIAN, QATAR, IF THE.

REGIME FALLS SPOTLIGHT WILL GO. ON QATAR AS THE WORLD'S LEADING. STATE SPONSOR OF TERROR. IT HASN'T BEEN DESIGNATED AS. THAT YET BUT IT IS A STATE. SPONSOR OF TERROR. IT FUNDS TALIBAN, HAMAS, WE'VE. GOT TO STOP DEALING WITH THESE. GUYS. THEY AREN'T HELPING US GET. ANYWHERE. >> Brian: IF WE GO BACK TO A. MOU-TYPE DEAL AND MONEY STARTS. FLOWING INTO IRAN TERROR IS. BACK. LOOK AT THE GAS LINES RIGHT NOW. IN IRAN. IT BEGINNING TO TAKE A TOLL.

THIS IS NOT THE TIME TO TALK. LIKE YOU SAID, HAVING RADCLIFF. IN THERE AND RUBIO SEEMS TO MAKE. MORE SENSE BUT YOU ALSO BROUGHT. ME TO WHAT THE SUPREME LEADER. SAID TODAY. WHAT DID HE SAY THAT WAS. SIGNIFICANT? >> WELL, THIS IS KEY BECAUSE THE. SUPREME LEADER TODAY TIED THE. REGIME'S SURVIVAL TO THE. ECONOMY. SO THIS STRANGLE HOLD THAT THE. U.S. IS PUTTING ON IRAN IS. WORKING. WE'RE LETTING SHIPS OUT THAT WE. DECIDE TO COME OUT OF THE STRAIT. OF HORMUZ, AND WE'RE DOING THIS. CIRCULATION, THIS ECONOMIC.

STRANGLE HOLD ON IRAN BY TAKING. THAT VENEZUELAN OIL AWAY FROM. RUSSIA, CHINA, AND IRAN, AND. THEN GOING AFTER COUNTRIES THAT. ACT AS A BYPASS FOR U.S. SANCTIONS ON IRAN. TODAY A BANK IN THE UAE WAS. SANCTIONED FOR BASICALLY. LAUNDERING $1.8 BILLION AND. ANOTHER BANK WAS SANCTIONED FOR. WORKING AS A PASS THROUGH TO. FUND IRAQI MILITIAS, THE PROXIES. THAT HAVE BEEN ATTACKING.

AMERICANS AND ATTACKING ISRAEL. IN SAUDI ARABIA. I WHAT I DO YOU THINK JOHN. RADCLIFF WAS TELLING PUTIN. THROUGH EMMISARIES. IN 72 HOURS HE LEFT. IN SIX HOURS HE WAS ON THE. GROUND IN RUSSIA? >> LISTEN, WE'RE GOING TO TAKE. AWAY IRAN FROM, YOU KNOW, FROM. RUSSIA, RIGHT? THEY HAVE DRONES GOING INTO THE. UKRAINE THAT ARE WORKING WITH. RUSSIA. WE'RE BASICALLY TRYING TO TELL. RUSSIA, LISTEN, YOUR ABILITY TO.

EXPORT OIL AND SOLICIT BACK. CHANNEL SANCTIONS INVASION HAS. TO STOP. THAT'S WHAT HE NEEDS TO TELL. PUTIN. WE NEED TO ACTUALLY GO AFTER. CHINA. WE'VE SELECTED ABOUT 20. COMPANIES TO SANCTION BUT WE. HAVEN'T DONE THAT YET. SO EVERYBODY IS BEING WARNED. RIGHT NOW, BRIAN. RUSSIA IS A $1.8 TRILLION DOLLAR. ECONOMY. RIGHT NOW, RUSSIA LOST ACCESS TO. THE VENEZUELAN OIL.

LOSING ACCESS TO IRANIAN OIL. CHINA IS LOSING ACCESS TO. VENEZUELA OIL AND IRANIAN OIL. HOPEFULLY RADCLIFF TOLD HIM, YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO DECIDE. WHETHER YOU WANT PEACE IN THE. UKRAINE, WORK IN THE U.S., OR. CONTINUE TO ACT AS A SANCTIONS. EVASION MECHANISM FOR IRAN. >> ARE WE GOING TO STAND UP TO. RUSSIA BECAUSE THEY ARE. PROVIDING SATELLITE IMAGING. THAT'S GETTING OUR GUYS KILLED. AND PROVIDING OTHER MATERIAL TO. RECONFIGURE THEIR MILITARY.

ARSENAL OVER IN IRAN. IF WE STAND UP.